English has become a major language used for communication around the world, especially online.

Depending on where you live there are differences in word meanings and spelling. Your teacher will be able to show you how to find different language options in your Word program. You can check out spelling and grammar in many different versions of English from Australia, UK, USA, and many others, including India and several countries in Africa.

This website is written in Australian English, so some of the spellings we use may be different to those used where you live.

Just for fun do a grammar and spelling check of your work sometime using the different kinds of English in your Word ‘program’ [or maybe it’s ‘programme’ where you live]?

So, why are there different spellings?

A long time ago, in America, Benjamin Franklin decided that the spelling of some words could be easier than what was used by people in England, and he changed the spelling of many words so now they are different to the ways we spell them in Australia and in the UK.

Language is dynamic, which means it is still changing all the time depending on where you live and what is happening there.

Nowadays there are fewer differences in spelling and grammar as people communicate so easily across the world and changes are quickly accepted and understood.

Nowadays texting on mobiles [cell phones] and chatting on the internet are having a big influence on spelling everywhere as short cuts are becoming used more, e.g. 'lol' = 'laugh out loud', ‘u’ instead of ‘you’, 'c' instead of 'see', or words are spelt as they sound rather than how they are correctly spelt e.g. laf instead of laugh.

But, when we are writing important things we need to check that everything is written correctly - for where we live. Check that your spell checker is set for the language you are using in the place where you live.